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Aeschylus
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The Persians Kindle Edition

by Aeschylus (Author), Robert Potter (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition
2.8 2.8 out of 5 stars 4 ratings
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The Persians is an Athenian tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus. First produced in 472 BCE, it is the oldest surviving play in the history of theatre, is based on experiences in Aeschylus's own life, specifically the Battle of Salamis. It is unique among surviving Greek tragedies in that it describes a recent historical event. The Persians focuses on the popular Greek theme of hubris by blaming Persia's loss on the pride of its king.

It opens with the arrival of a messenger in Susa, the Persian capital, bearing news of the catastrophic Persian defeat at Salamis to Atossa, the mother of the Persian King Xerxes...
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  1. Print length
    49 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 30, 2012
  4. File size
    517 KB
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  6. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007ZFRAF6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ A.X (April 30, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 30, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 517 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 49 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    2.8 2.8 out of 5 stars 4 ratings

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Aeschylus

Aeschylus

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Aeschylus (/ˈiːskᵻləs/ or /ˈɛskᵻləs/; Greek: Αἰσχύλος Aiskhulos; Ancient Greek: [ai̯s.kʰý.los]; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian. He is also the first whose plays still survive; the others are Sophocles and Euripides. He is often described as the father of tragedy: critics and scholars' knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier tragedies is largely based on inferences from his surviving plays. According to Aristotle, he expanded the number of characters in theater to allow conflict among them, whereas characters previously had interacted only with the chorus.

Only seven of his estimated seventy to ninety plays have survived, and there is a longstanding debate regarding his authorship of one of these plays, Prometheus Bound, which some believe his son Euphorion actually wrote. Fragments of some other plays have survived in quotes and more continue to be discovered on Egyptian papyrus, often giving us surprising insights into his work. He was probably the first dramatist to present plays as a trilogy; his Oresteia is the only ancient example of the form to have survived. At least one of his plays was influenced by the Persians' second invasion of Greece (480-479 BC). This work, The Persians, is the only surviving classical Greek tragedy concerned with contemporary events (very few of that kind were ever written), and a useful source of information about its period. The significance of war in Ancient Greek culture was so great that Aeschylus' epitaph commemorates his participation in the Greek victory at Marathon while making no mention of his success as a playwright. Despite this, Aeschylus' work – particularly the Oresteia – is acclaimed by today's literary academics.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Unknown [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

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  • G W W3
    4.0 out of 5 stars The First Docudrama
    Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2014
    The Persians is technically the earliest tragedy that has survived. Unlike most Greek tragedies which are based on Greek myths, The Persians is entirely based on recent historical events, and not a single character is Greek It takes place at the Persian Court as news drifts in to King Xerxes' mother of the defeat of the Persian navy by the Greeks at Salamis. Her deceased husband Darius makes an appearance as a ghost. This play was written only a few years after the actual battle of Salamis, in which the playwright (Aeschylus) had fought. As dramatic literature it is only fair, with all the action taking place offstage. However, for history buffs like me it is fascinating work because of its immediacy to a major event of the ancient past. The descriptions of the sea battle, the killings of Persian soldiers and their leaders and the escape of King Xerxes all have a remarkable "you are there" quality. I recommend it particularly to all who enjoy ancient history.
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